Tenjin
|image = |name = |kanji =天神 |romanji = Celestial Being |homedimension =Amenokai *Shussho (Origin) |averageheight = |skincolor = |haircolor = |distinctions = Aspect Personification |averagelifespan = Immortal |primarypower = Kamigi, Aspect Manipulation |notablemembers = , The One, The Outsider, and others }} The Tenjin (天神, Celestial Being), alternatively referred to as Kami (神, Gods) and Shinzoku (神族, Divine Being) respectively, were an immensely powerful species of God-like entities that inhabit the Shussho (出所, The Birthplace) within the Upper Realm known as the Amenokai. They were regarded as primordial beings that purportedly came into existence at the dawn of time and creation, said to had existed in both the Pre-Universe and the current Universe. Each of the Tenjin controlled and exemplified a certain aspect of the Universe and were responsible for the forging of the Lower Realm, which later came to be known as the current Universe. Overview In the beginning, there was only the Shussho. The first of the Tenjin, The Father and The Mother, erupted from the Shussho. The Mother was already pregnant by the time she came from the Shussho and soon gave birth to twins, The Son and The Daughter. Possessing the cumulative power of the Pre-Universe at their disposal, the four Tenjin set out about creating After a gruesome war that resulted in the sealing of the Greater Tenjin and the deaths of countless Lesser Tenjin, The Tenjin were unofficially ruled by the most powerful Tenjin left amongst them, , who would later be known as . Unfortunately, constantly went into dormancy to regain the power it had lost during the creation of , , , and the , forcing the other Tenjin to maintain the balance, a feat easier said than done. Types Greater Tenjin The first of the Tenjin to arrive from the Shussho, they were responsible for the establishment of the Amenokai. Only four Greater Tenjin were known to exist. All four were later overthrown and sealed into the Shussho, as they were unable to be permanently killed. *'The Father' - The God of Order *'The Mother' - The Goddess of Chaos *'The Daughter' - The Goddess of Good *'The Son' - The God of Evil Lesser Tenjin Numbering in the hundreds, the Lesser Tenjin were the Children of the Daughter and the Son. The majority of the Lesser Tenjin were killed in the Theomachy between them and the Greater Tenjin, leaving only a handful of survivors. *'The One' - The Goddess of Independence and Justice, The Selfless Creator, The Patron of All Order. *'The Outsider' - The God of Anarchy, The Outcast, Son of the Chaotic Mother, He Who Rejects Order. *'The Engineer' - The God of Creation, The Creative God of Invention, Seeker of All Truths. *'The Joker' - The God of Trickery, The Artful Liar of Deception, Patron God of Thieves. *'The Reaper' - The Goddess of Judgement and Death, Mistress of Finality, She Who Hears the Last Words. *'The Nameless' - The Nameless God, The Fallen and Forgotten God, His Name Who Is Forbidden. Originally known alternately as The Feral God and The God of Barbarians. He would later be known unofficially as The God of Rebellion. *' ' - The God of Souls and Reincarnation, The Abstainer, He Who Oversees, The Balancer. *'The Ferryman' -- The God of the Dead, Overseer of Hell, He Who Guides the Souls, Boatman of the Spiritual Seas. Known alternatively as The True Reaper. Minor Tenjin The Children of the Lesser Tenjin. Must be borne directly from the Lesser Tenjin themselves to be either counted as a Minor Tenjin. Most Minor Tenjin were born from unions between two Lesser Tenjin. On the other hand, a small handful were seemingly created from nothing, as if they were willed into existence. Those who studied the Tenjin believed they were created from their own body to fulfill a specific need. Children of The One and The Joker *'Katsumi Scarlet' - The Goddess of Vampires, the Blood Goddess, Huntress of the Eternal Night. Children of The One and The Outsider *'Yuu Hoshiko' - The Goddess of the Maidens, Maiden of the Harmonious Star, She Who Sleeps. *'Michael' - Twin God of the Tenshi, The Mortal God, The One Who Let Go. *'Lucifer' - Twin God of the Tenshi, God of Good Morning and Dawn, Patron God of the Fallen. Children of *' ' - The God-King of the Quincy, The Sleeping King, Son of the King *'Ikusa' - The God of Battle, The Warrior-God, Patron of Combat Children of The Ferryman and The Reaper *'Heavenly Guardian' -- Known only as the Heavenly Guardian this God manifested his immortality through repeated Shinigami reincarnations, allowing him to manifest his power in select individuals every few centuries. He did this by merging with the individual's latent Shinigami powers and manifesting as the immensely powerful ice-snow-type Zanpakutō Hyōrinmaru. This ensured that the individual could only make full use of their Godly powers upon mastering the release of their . Gin Ichimaru correctly deduced Tōshirō Hitsugaya to be the most recent incarnation of the Heavenly Guardian's power, albeit Sōjirō Kusaka likewise possessed Hyōrinmaru. Pseudo Tenjin Pseudo Tenjin was an unofficial term used to describe certain individuals who had been blessed by a Lesser Tenjin to possess similar traits and abilities as them, either via direct or indirect means. Pseudo Tenjin also applied to individuals who possessed the Original Kyutai and the Ōin. The term could also be used to refer to individuals that had been unknowingly affected by Pseudo Tenjin, such as in the case with Kentaro Hiroshi by Averian. *'Royal Souls' (as a whole) -- Creations of The Soul King. Personal Guardians of The Soul King. *'Averian' -- The First Hollow, as well as The First Arrancar. Blessed by The Outsider to serve as his emissary and proxy. Averian's Battle Doll's could likewise be considered pseudo Tenjin by extension. They exhibited the durability of the deities at any rate and where far more powerful than traditional beings. *'Shinzō' -- Blessed by Hakyoku to serve as his proxy during the latter's imprisonment at the hands of the Yellow Dragon God. Killed by Kentaro Hiroshi. *'Kentaro Hiroshi' -- By proxy of Averian. Kentaro could be classified as a failed attempt at turning Kenji's wife, Ino Choyo, into a Battle Doll, and was the result of that occurrence. Kentaro has actively demonstrated the ability to sense the spiritual power of Tenjin and those blessed by them. *'Kei Yume' -- Born with and bonded to the Soul of Michael. *'Kenji Hiroshi' -- Owner of the Original Kyutai and host of Hakyoku, who was a Fallen Tenjin who once rampaged throughout the . As Sasaeru was made using a portion of The Balancer's Celestial Power, the artefact itself is considered a Celestial Object. Anyone bonded to said Kyūtai are considered Tenjin due to its power. Also as Hakyoku's host Kenji has direct access to the latter's power. *'Van Satonaka' -- Owner of the Ōin. As the Ōin was made using Sasaeru, which itself contained a portion of The Balancer's Celestial Power, the artefact itself is considered a Celestial Object. Anyone bonded to said Kyūtai are considered Tenjin due to its power. *'Shiju Shūdō' -- Host of the Yellow Dragon God. As the God's host Shiju has direct access to the latter's power, making him a pseudo Tenjin. Former Pseudo Tenjin *'Garian Shinjo' -- Temporary host of the Yellow Dragon God after Hakyoku's first escape attempt and again when Shinzō's role as the latter's proxy came to light. *'Nasu Shiba' -- Temporary host of Hakyoku prior to the latter's sealing within the Nishiendo valley. *'Meian Shiba' -- Temporary host of Hakyoku throughout the First Spiritual War and its aftermath. Relinquished the Tenjin mere days before The Collapse. History Sacred Name Powers and Abilities Divine Wisdom Power: Immortality & Regeneration: The Tenjin possessed a perpetual state of immortality and could not be killed under normal circumstances. Possessing the ability to take a tangible physical form through the coalescence of their spirit, Tenjin were able to interact with the Lower Realms. Taikoubutai (対抗部隊, Opposing Forces): *'Tanjou' (誕生, Creation): The opposite of Zetsumetsu, Tanjou was the light in the darkness of the Tenjin's power. :*'Saisei' (再生, Rebirth): :*'Kizou' (寄贈, Gift): Every Tenjin possessed the ability to give an individual a small portion of their Tenjin powers, granting them a number of advantages based on their desires. In addition, the Tenjin in question can also choose what power they bequeath to those chosen. A Tenjin's Blessings would later become known as a Mark, taking on the appearance of a stigma on the chosen's body. By extension, those blessed with Kizou were considered proxy Tenjin and were practically rendered immortal. However, the Blessed were subjected to all the weakness associated with the Tenjin, including the possibility of being killed by other Tenjin and God-Slaying weapons. *'Kaimetsu' (壊滅, Destruction): The opposite of Tanjou, Kaimetsu was the darker aspect of a Tenjin's power. Rather than create what was not there and rebuild what was lost like Tanjou, Kaimetsu represented pure death and unhindered destruction on a scale some would call apocalyptic. Only a few of the Tenjin were proud of such power, but it was normal for them since it was already deeply ingrained into their jaded personalities. For others of their kind, it was a power the Tenjin reluctantly accepted, since it could potentially serve a noble purpose if used correctly. Kaimetsu encompassed all that was deemed violent, especially abilities that dealt harm onto others. :*'Kamishini' (神殺, God-Killing): Due to their mysterious origins, the Tenjin were considered immortal and were able to survive the most severe of injuries. Tenjins never suffered from permanent death and could easily revive and reform back in the Amenokai. In order to protect themselves from other Higher Beings of Power, the Tenjin developed the ability to permanently slay Divine Beings through unknown means. However, the power consequently extended to themselves as well, meaning a Tenjin could permanently end the existence of another Tenjin. The Tenjin were also highly susceptible to God-class weaponry such as the . In addition, those individuals blessed with Kizou also become susceptible to the power of Kamishini. Soul Consumption & Absorption: Tenjin possessed the ability to consume the energy and essence of any entity for empowerment and sustenance, Tenjin included. In addition, they gain the memories and knowledge belonging to the victim. Generally, the ability was considered taboo by the Tenjin due to their small population. The only known Tenjin to had broken such a sinful taboo was The Outsider, who murdered the naive Joker. *'Tenryoku Absorption': *' ': Kamigi (神技, God Art): *'Kenmei Kōsaku': Gallery Notes Trivia *Before the Soul King sacrificed the majority of his Celestial Power to create the , the , and respectively, the Soul King was purported to be the strongest Tenjin out of all the Lesser Tenjin. Even after splitting half of his remaining Celestial Power to forge the Kyūtai, the Soul King was supposedly more than a match for the majority of the Lesser Tenjin. *Hakyoku was described by Kenji as a Tenjin, and was similar to . He was a fallen God who once rampaged throughout the . Those aware of Hakyoku claim it to be a Fallen Tenjin but to what capacity remained unknown. It was later revealed that Hakyoku was indeed a Tenjin but upon the removal of his Sacred Name by the Soul King, he was no longer considered one. *Kentaro Hiroshi, due to his connection to Averian (who in turn has a connection to The Outsider), is classified as a very minor Tenjin himself. He has enough of their power coursing through his veins to land a killing blow on them. Behind the Scenes *The Tenjin were partially inspired by the concepts presented Raymond E. Feist and David Eddings, most notably in their works - Riftwar Cycle, The Elenium, and the The Tamuli Book Series. :*The Tenjin also took inspiration from the Deities from the manga and anime series, Saint Seiya. References